Omaha, Neb. ? A lawsuit says the city of Omaha contributed to the drowning death of a Bellevue man whose body was found in the Missouri River, more than 20 miles from where he fell into a roadside ditch.

The wrongful-death suit was filed Thursday by Andrew Sieger, the victim’s stepfather.

Omaha investigators say Chad Sieger, 29, of Bellevue, was seen getting out of his car July 22, 2004, on a rain-flooded street.

He either fell or was swept off the roadway into a drain culvert in southwest Omaha. The culvert empties into Hell Creek, which eventually flows into Big Papillion Creek.

Chad Sieger’s body was found the next day on the Iowa side.

The lawsuit says the city failed to mark the ditch or erect a barrier to protect passers-by.